The present invention relates to a seat device for a vehicle equipped with a sub seat between right and left main seats.
Generally, it is required for right and left rear seats of the vehicle to be moved backward so that there can be provided a cargo space between the front seat and the rear seat or the comfortable sitting can be provided to passengers on the rear seat. However, since a pair of wheel houses projecting inward is generally formed behind the rear seat, the rear seat can not be moved back straightly.
Then, various types of seat devices have been proposed to solve the above-described problem.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-264109 discloses a rear seat for a vehicle, in which a center seat is disposed between right and left seats, and after the center seat has been moved forward, the right and left seats are moved back obliquely so as to approach to each other, whereby these right and left seats can be located between the wheel houses.
In this conventional device, however, since the forward-moved center seat is located just behind the front seat, there is concern that this center seat could be an obstacle to passengers or the like. Also, since additional rails or the like to move the center seat forward is necessary, there is a problem that the structure of seat device would be complicated.
Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 63-179248 discloses a slide seat, in which a foldable seat comprising a seat cushion and a seat back is disposed between right and left seats, and after the seat back of the foldable seat has been folded on the seat cushion and then the foldable seat itself has been folded toward the right seat or the left seat, these right and left seats are moved back obliquely so as to approach to each other, whereby these right and left seats can be located between the wheel houses.
This type of conventional device, meanwhile, has a problem that the right and left seats would be limited to some extent in their approaching due to a total thickness of the folded seat back and seat cushion which are piled on each other.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 7-108864 discloses a seat device for a vehicle, in which on a vehicle rear floor is provided a pair of slide rails formed symmetrically in a substantially Z shape, when viewed from above, which respectively comprise front straight portions which extend longitudinally to provide a wider distance between right and left seats, rear straight portions which extend longitudinally to provide a narrower distance between the right and left seats, and slant portions to obliquely interconnect the front and rear straight portions. Herein, the right and left seats are configured so as to be moved along these slide rails, and these seats are moved back to the rear straight portions of the slide rails, whereby these right and left seats can be located between the wheel houses.
In this conventional device, although the both seats located between the wheel houses can provide a bench seat mode, the both seats moved forward are separated from each other and thus the bench mode can not be provided at this location. Namely, this type of seat device has a problem that it is impossible to provide the bench seat mode in both front and rear positions, and also the above-described slide rails which may be rather complex are required.